GCNM calls for a permanent office complex, more funding for specialist nursing training

The Rector of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM), Dr Mrs Gloria Achempim-Ansong, has called for increased investment in specialist nursing and midwifery training to address funding challenges and the growing impact of migration on the country’s health workforce.

She also appealed to the Minister for Health to lead efforts towards the development of a permanent office complex for the College on its two-acre land at the University of Ghana.

Dr Acheampim-Ansong made the call when she addressed the GCNM’s 11th Annual General Meeting and 6th Seminar 2026, held under the theme, ‘Building a resilient specialist nursing and midwifery workforce to improve health outcomes’.

According to her, although the College had made significant progress in its mandate, the absence of a permanent office remained a major challenge to its operations and future growth.

“While we celebrate these achievements, we must also acknowledge the challenges facing the College. The College does not have a permanent office,” she said.

She therefore appealed to the Minister for Health to support efforts to provide the College with a permanent administrative facility.

“We therefore use this opportunity to call on the Honourable Minister for Health to lead efforts towards the development of the College’s permanent office complex on the two-acre land at the University of Ghana,” she said.

Dr Achempim-Ansong explained that a permanent facility would provide the infrastructure needed to support the College’s expanding responsibilities.

“A permanent office complex will provide the College with the infrastructure required to support its expanding mandate and operations,” she added.

The Rector also identified inadequate sponsorship for residency programmes as one of the major challenges confronting specialist nursing and midwifery education in Ghana.

She acknowledged the contribution of existing sponsors, including G-DNA, WCC and GMTF, but said more investment was needed to enable more nurses and midwives to undertake specialist training.

“One of our major concerns remains the lack of adequate sponsorship for residency programmes,” she said.

“We sincerely appreciate the support provided by G-DNA, WCC and GMTF; however, greater investment is needed to expand sponsorship support, especially for nurses and midwives serving in underserved regions.”

Dr Achempim-Ansong said the cost of specialist education continued to place financial pressure on many residents and could limit access to training opportunities.

“Specialist education is expensive, and many of our residents continue to struggle with the cost of training,” she said.

She called for increased support for specialist education, particularly for health professionals working in areas where specialist services are most needed.

Another concern raised by the Rector was the increasing number of nurses and midwives leaving their training programmes, sometimes without completing them, because of migration opportunities.

She described the situation as worrying, saying it affected both individual trainees and the wider health system.

“We are also confronted by the worrying trend of Nurses and Midwives leaving their programmes, sometimes abruptly, as a result of migration,” she said.

“This situation affects not only the residents concerned but also the continuity of specialist training and the availability of specialists required to strengthen our health system.”

According to her, the continued migration of health professionals could undermine efforts to build the specialist workforce needed to improve healthcare delivery in Ghana.

She said the College would continue to advocate for measures that would make specialist training more accessible while creating conditions that encourage nurses and midwives to remain in the system.

“To address these challenges, we continue to advocate for better funding, increased opportunities for study leave with pay, and deliberate policies that encourage Specialization,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Dr Achempim-Ansong highlighted a number of achievements by the College, including the introduction of a new pathway for Fellowship by Examination.

She said the College, earlier in March 2026, formally inducted its first batch of 11 Fellows by Examination.

The development, she said, marked an important step in strengthening specialist nursing and midwifery education in Ghana.

“For the first time, the College formally inducted the first batch of Fellowship-by-Examination residents, 11 Fellows by examination, representing a new pathway that is distinct from the previous practice of inducting Fellows through election,” she said.

She described the development as another milestone in the College’s efforts to build a strong pool of specialists capable of contributing to nursing and midwifery education and strengthening the health workforce.

“This represented another important milestone in our efforts to build a strong cadre of specialists to advance nursing and midwifery education in Ghana and support the training workforce for the College,” she said.

The President of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Prof. Mrs Victoria B. Bam, also called for increased investment in the College’s infrastructure to accommodate growing demand for specialist nursing and midwifery education.

She said the increasing number of applicants, coupled with growing interest from employers, meant the College needed to expand its facilities.

“As a college, we need a commensurate expansion in our infrastructure to accommodate the increasing number of applicants and the interest of employers,” Prof. Mrs Bam said.

She appealed to the Ministry of Health, as the College’s parent organisation, as well as local and international partners, to provide financial support for the College’s infrastructure development plans.

“I take this opportunity, therefore, to appeal to the Ministry of Health, our parent organization, and our local and international partners to support us financially to translate our infrastructure development plans into physical structures,” she said.